No, they're not declining because it has a patent - they're declining because it does not.

If there was no patent system in place, you'd see far fewer ideas and products on the market. Without the ability to protect intellectual property, a good many folks that currently design and develop products, wouldn't bother.

This is where we can get into the reasons why socialistic systems don't work very well. Most folks won't work hard and smart when there is no real reward to be had for doing so. Without a patent system, there is little chance that the person doing the design and/or initial development can gain from their efforts. So they simply don't bother.

No, they're not declining because it has a patent - they're declining because it does not.

If there was no patent system in place, you'd see far fewer ideas and products on the market. Without the ability to protect intellectual property, a good many folks that currently design and develop products, wouldn't bother.

This is where we can get into the reasons why socialistic systems don't work very well. Most folks won't work hard and smart when there is no real reward to be had for doing so. Without a patent system, there is little chance that the person doing the design and/or initial development can gain from their efforts. So they simply don't bother.

I never had any plans to spend $10,000 to $15,000 obtaining a patent. I never had any plans to put it on the market.

However, if you'd care to front the money, I can have my attorney get started. I'm sure we could work something out.

I would be interested in one and would sign a non-disclosure agreement. You could also get a non-provisional patent which is good for 1 year for under $200.Then there is the invention submission companies that will take advantage of you and start the ball rolling for under a $1k, but at least the system might make it to market. I looked into this before I would send $700+ and found the idea already had a patent covering it, they still wanted me to try, of course after sending them the money.My idea was to use the back-up sensors installed on rear bumpers and mount them on the front so when an object was detected it would disengage the throttle preventing further damage when a person panics and hits the gas instead of the brake. This was when the sensors just started showing up on vehicles here. I still haven't seen it developed and people still drive into crowds and through buildings mistaking the gas for the brake.

My idea was to use the back-up sensors installed on rear bumpers and mount them on the front so when an object was detected it would disengage the throttle preventing further damage when a person panics and hits the gas instead of the brake. This was when the sensors just started showing up on vehicles here. I still haven't seen it developed and people still drive into crowds and through buildings mistaking the gas for the brake.

Aye there's the rub, any idiot can have an idea. It takes a fairly skilled & driven person/people to turn the idea to product let alone market it successfully. As Edison said "genius is 1% inpiration, 99% perspiration".

Last edited by Dive-n-Cast on Sun Mar 18, 2012 1:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.

By the way, something is wrong with the quote button - I didn't write the statement contained in the quote box above.

My idea, on the other hand, is functional, developed and in use.

I am the person who is responsible for the quote, so I guess that makes me the idiot. If name calling makes him feel better about himself I'm ok with that. I don't think he noticed the ideas I have posted are all protected by patents by people who had the idea first, thus being an idiot I chose not to perspire anymore over the idea. I am just complaining that for some reason these idea's have yet come to market. Why hasn't the rescue balloon come to market? Wouldn't it save lives? It doesn't seem like it would be expensive to produce, I did look into it and found the gas cylinders if purchased in bulk could be had for about $3 each, add the housing, line and a mylar balloon and you have a low tech, very reliable rescue device...how much is an epirb by comparison?

Tom, have you looked into whether or not your device could be patented, is there another patent that your device would infringe upon that would prevent it from receiving a patent? From where I sit it looks like a winner, but then again I may be an idiot.

Perhaps any idiot can have an idea and get a patent is what he meant and prevent others from developing the idea. Why don't zippers have a little v shaped plow in front of the carriage to prevent fabric from getting caught in the teeth of the zipper? I have become frustrated by the patent system and think there needs to be some change, so I for one will make some of the ideas I have public and maybe they will get developed or maybe not. The way it is now I have all but given up hope.So much for my remote release lobster pot buoy which eliminates the line being in the water column where whales and boats could get fowled causing loss of the gear, also eliminating damage from storms where the pots are picked up by waves and slammed back down because of the float/buoy. I thought you had to have a protoytype and I had a prototype almost complete. Then I found a guy in Maine got a patent that was so vague it covered my idea, years after I began making a prototype. I still haven't seen that either, so to the guy in Maine who no doubt has a problem with the battery, try a multi day timer so the receiver is active only during a preset window and troll the antenna emitting the recovery signal to deploy the float/line for retrieval. It is very frustrating having ideas and not knowing who or where to go with them, and not having the financial ability to take a shot yourself.And as far as a patent expiring, why isn't there another coca-cola made by another company now that the original patent has expired? Does "classic coke" actually prevent this from happening?I honestly feel patents get in the way of progress.

..... "It is very frustrating having ideas and not knowing who or where to go with them, and not having the financial ability to take a shot yourself." .......

Ah ha .......... the reason for a patent ...........

So how do you explain a simple rescue balloon device that could have saved many lives not being available yet? How many more have to suffer or die before this simple device becomes available? Remember the patent was given to the original person back in 1974 and has since been patented to others; yet still no device available. The only people who made money from a patent on this device are the lawyers and the government. I don't know the answer but there has got to be a better way.Invention submission companies are not the answer, they want your money and have you sign over all kinds of control and then take a small percentage 10% and then basically screw most inventors out of any actual profit by selling the product cheaply (probably where mosts of the "as seen on TV" products come from). Make the product sell it cheap and add process and handling fee's to increase their cut and leave scraps for the inventor. It truly does take money to make money thanks to patents.If anyone could make a product then the one who can make it best or most efficiently will be the provider until someone else makes it better.

Yes, my device could be patented. There is no "prior art" related to the main component, which would be the part the patent would protect. Had I developed this as something I intended to market and sell, it would already be patented, or at least be pending a patent. As it is, I have no desire to put that kind of money into it.